Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 128-101 win over Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
Durant scored a game-high 26 points, with 20 coming in the first half alone. He shot 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc while recording four rebounds, two steals and one block.
Brown struggled in the loss, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He dished out five assists, but also committed five turnovers.
Fans applauded Durant’s performance after Houston’s victory.
Durant was far from the only contributor for the Rockets, as all five starters ended the contest with a double-digit scoring total. Alperen Şengün nearly posted a triple-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while dishing out nine assists.
The Rockets made their presence felt early in the game, taking a 10-point lead with just over six minutes left in the first quarter before maintaining a 37-24 edge heading into the second.
Houston steadily increased its advantage to 18 points entering halftime and never looked back, leading by as many as 36 points in the third quarter.
The Rockets didn’t face much resistance from Boston’s defense, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 65.5 percent from three-point territory as a team. They scored at least 29 points in each quarter of the game.
Houston improved to 3-2 with the victory, while Boston fell to 3-4.
About the Author
